Exploring QCD dynamics in medium energy $\gamma A$ semiexclusive collisions

TL;DR

This paper proposes using medium energy photon-nucleus collisions at TJNAF to investigate QCD dynamics, including the transition from soft to hard interactions, meson-baryon interactions, and color transparency effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental approach to study QCD phenomena in photon-nucleus reactions at intermediate energies.

Findings

Identifies the energy range for soft-hard transition in QCD.

Suggests measuring meson and baryon interactions with nucleons.

Proposes detecting color transparency effects in semiexclusive reactions.

Abstract

We demonstrate that studies of the semiexclusive large angle photon - nucleus reactions: $\gamma + A\to h_1+h_2 +(A-1)^*$ with tagged photon beams of energies $6 \div 10$ GeV which can be performed in Hall D at Thomas Jefferson National Acceleration Facility (TJNAF) would allow to probe several aspects of the QCD dynamics: establish the $t$-range in which transition from soft to hard dynamics occurs, compare the strength of the interaction of various mesons and baryons with nucleons at the energies of few GeV, as well as look for the color transparency effects.